Men's Tennis Hosts Duke in Regular Season Finale Friday
April 16, 2015 | Men's Tennis
Seniors Sebastian Stiefelmeyer, Albert Wagner, Chris Simich, Michael Lippens, Luis Elizondo and Van Damrongsri
The University of Louisville men's tennis team will conclude the 2015 regular season by hosting No. 8 Duke in an ACC matchup Friday at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center at 4 p.m. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the Cardinals will honor seniors Van Damrongsri, Luis Elizondo, Michael Lippens, Chris Simich, Sebastian Stiefelmeyer and Albert Wagner at approximately 3:45 p.m. Admission is free.
"Senior Day will be a proud moment for me as we honor six special people," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "These players were starters as Freshman and finish their careers as starters. They are all good to great students and have been great Ambassadors for the tennis program and the university. They understand the importance of this Duke match and trying to get the highest possible seed in next week's ACC Tournament. I hope the fans will come out and join me in honoring these great young men."
About Louisville: The Cardinals enter Friday with a 23-6 record and at No. 30 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national team rankings. Louisville is coming off of an ACC road swing in which the Cardinals defeated Boston College 7-0 and fell 6-1 to No. 4 Virginia. Louisville is led by senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer who is No. 7 in the ITA singles rankings and carries a 38-5 overall singles mark while going 18-2 in dual matches.
? The Cardinals (23-6) are currently fifth in ACC standings with a 7-4 record in conference play while Duke (20-4) stands tied for third.
Cards against Duke
Series History: First meeting
Scouting the Blue Devils: Eighth-ranked Duke enters the weekend with a 20-4 overall record and stand tied for third in the conference with a 7-3 mark in ACC play. Most recently, the Blue Devils defeated then-No. 33 Florida State 7-0 on Sunday to registered a perfect 14-0 season at home. Prior to that, they fell 5-2 to then-No. 16 North Carolina on Thursday.
? The Blue Devils boast three players in the ITA's top 100 singles rankings. Nicolas Alvarez leads the way at No. 11 nationally. Jason Tahir stands at No. 51 and Raphael Hemmeler is No. 59. The tandem of Alvarez and Hemmeler is No. 14 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Senior Salute
The senior class of 2015 is one of the most highly-decorated in the history of the University of Louisville men's tennis program. Their accomplishments include:
? Helping the Cardinals to 77 wins as a team
? Set school record for regular season wins (23 - 2015)
? Two NCAA outdoor regional appearances (2012 and 2014)
? One NCAA outdoor regional final (2012)
? BIG EAST Championship (2012)
? Ranked among 25 in national team rankings (2015)
Quick Hits:
? The Cardinals are 18-3 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center this season.
? Senior Sebastian Stiefelmeyer is No. 7 in the most recent ITA singles rankings (March 26). On Jan. 3, he became the first player in program history to earn the nation's top ranking in singles and r eached No. 1 again on March 10. He has remained in the top eight throughout the 2015 season.
? Stiefelmeyer carries a 38-5 overall singles record and is 20-2 in dual matches as the Cards' top-seeded player. Stiefelmeyer is currently tied for first for the most singles wins in a season and third in career wins with 110.
? Senior Albert Wagner stands at No. 100 in the ITA singles rankings. He enters today's match with a 28-11 overall record and is 12-6 in dual matches playing mostly at No. 2.
? Junior Alex Gornet made his 2015 debut in the ITA singles rankings at No. 123. He carries a 29-12 overall record and an 14-5 mark in dual matches playing mostly at Nos. 2 and 3.
? The doubles team of Gornet and fellow junior Jeffrey Brown entered the national rankings at No. 72. The duo carries a 16-3 overall record and a 14-1 mark in dual match play.
? Senior Michael Lippens is currently fourth in career singles wins with 107 while Chris Simich is tied for sixth with 100 and Albert Wagner is ninth with 99.
? Head coach Rex Ecarma is in his 25th season at UofL and recently recorded his 400th career victory on March 20 when the Cards upset No. 10 North Carolina at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.
Up Next: Following Friday's season finale, the Cardinals will travel to Cary, N.C. for the 2015 ACC Championship.
Players Mentioned
